The Gunners have got their season off to a decent start so far; late goals against Crystal Palace and Everton have handed them four points in the Premier League, whilst Wednesday's 1-0 win over Turkish side Besiktas means Arsene Wenger's side will be playing in the Champions League group stage once again.

However, the start to the new campaign hasn't been totally smooth. Olivier Giroud has been ruled out until the new year having suffered a broken ankle, whilst Calum Chambers has been forced to fill in at centre back following the absences of Laurent Koscielny and Per Mertesacker.

With no depth behind Koscielny and Mertesacker since the £15m sale of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona earlier this month, Wenger has been linked with a whole host of centre backs in recent weeks, including Toby Alderweireld, Matija Nastasic and Kostas Manolas.

Whilst a deal for Manolas fell through after the Olympiacos man chose to sign for Roma, Wenger could now turn his attention to his Manolas' Greek international partner in defence, Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

The 26-year-old joined Borussia Dortmund from Werder Bremen a year ago, and given the injuries to Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic, he ended up featuring in 30 games and demonstrating that he has the ability to step out of their shadow and be a top class centre back in his own right.

More impressive displays for Greece at this summer's World Cup have only enhanced his reputation, leading to a bid from Arsenal as they chase a new centre back. A £12m offer is reportedly on the table, but according to speculation in Greece, Dortmund have told Arsenal that it will take a bid of £20m - almost double the Gunner's current offer - in order to prise him away from Signal Iduna Park.

It seems unlikely that Wenger would fork out £20m to snap up a third choice centre back, but the Frenchman needs to build a squad capable of challenging Chelsea and Manchester City for the title, which will require strong depth.

Olly Dawes

Olly is a Sports Management graduate and aspiring journalist, with most of his work surrounding football or NFL. He has formed two of his own sites, as well as contributing to a number of others before starting with Here Is The City.